1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for therapeutically treating injuries using ultrasound. More particularly, the present invention relates to a self-contained ultrasound applicator which may be mounted on a patient to ultrasonically treat bone injuries, a variety of musculoskeletal injuries and other treatable injuries.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of ultrasound to therapeutically treat and evaluate bone injuries is known. Impinging ultrasonic pulses having appropriate parameters, e.g., frequency, pulse repetition, and amplitude, for suitable periods of time and at a proper external location adjacent a bone injury has been determined to accelerate the natural healing of, for example, bone breaks and fractures. For patients with reduced healing capacity, such as elderly persons with osteoporosis, ultrasonic therapy may promote healing of bone injuries that would otherwise require prosthetic replacement or leave the patient permanently disabled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,360 to Duarte describes a basic non-invasive therapeutic technique and apparatus for applying ultrasonic pulses from an operative surface placed on the skin at a location adjacent a bone injury. The applicator described in the ""360 patent has a plastic tube which serves as a grip for the operator, an RF plug attached to the plastic tube for connection to an RF source, and internal cabling connected to an ultrasonic transducer. To apply the ultrasound pulses during treatment, an operator must manually hold the applicator in place until the treatment is complete. As a result, the patient is, in effect, immobilized during treatment. The longer the treatment period, the more the patient is inconvenienced. The ""360 patent also describes a range of RF signals for creating the ultrasound, ultrasound power density levels, a range of duration for each ultrasonic pulse, and a range of ultrasonic pulse frequencies.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,003,965 and 5,186,162, both to Talish et al., relate to an ultrasonic body treatment system having a body-applicator unit connected to a remote control unit by sheathed fiber optic lines. The signals controlling the duration of ultrasonic pulses and the pulse repetition frequency are generated apart from the body-applicator unit. Talish et al. also describe a mounting fixture for attaching the body-applicator unit to a patient so that the operative surface is adjacent the skin location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,372, also to Talish et al., attempts to improve upon the above ultrasonic body treatment systems by providing an ergonomically constructed ultrasonic transducer treatment head module. The main operating unit is constructed to fit within a pouch worn by the patient, while the transducer treatment head module is positioned adjacent the area of the injury. The apparatus described in the ""372 patent therefore permits the patient to be mobile during treatment.
While the systems described in the above patents relate to therapeutic methods and apparatus for ultrasonically treating injured bone, they do not disclose a self-contained ultrasound applicator configured to urgingly bias the transducer toward a treatment site when mounted adjacent the treatment site.
It is therefore an objective of this invention to provide a self-contained ultrasound applicator which is configured to urgingly bias a transducer toward a treatment site when mounted adjacent thereto.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a self-contained ultrasound applicator having a main operating unit with an internal power source, a cantilever which is connected to and extends from the main operating unit, and an ultrasonic transducer which is connected adjacent a distal end of the cantilever. The self-contained ultrasound applicator is preferably provided with a means for attaching the applicator to a patient adjacent a treatment site. The applicator attaching means advantageously provides a patient with virtually unlimited mobility and comfort during treatment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a self-contained ultrasound applicator having a cantilever which is configured to urgingly bias the transducer toward a treatment site when mounted adjacent the treatment site. The biasing feature of the cantilever configuration enhances the efficiency of the therapeutic treatment administered by the ultrasonic transducer.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.